Ichiro, who batted a career-low .262 in 150 games last season, acknowledged that he may have to accept a reserve role in 2014.

"I don't know how I'm going to feel once the season starts," Ichiro said. "I don't know what it's going to be like. But right now, it doesn't change the way I prepare myself throughout the spring."

Ellsbury and Gardner are projected to play every day in the outfield while Beltran and Soriano likely will rotate between the third outfield spot and designated hitter, leaving no clear role for Ichiro.

"When I first signed here, I knew what I was getting into," Ichiro said. "I knew every year there would be changes and things would happen that maybe we can't control. But I can't allow that to affect the way I prepare or go into the season."